Genetic testing in all forms, whether prenatally or in adulthood, has been one of the greatest medical advancements in this generation. But with that, there comes a lot of controversy on if and when it is appropriate to use. We can all agree on post-natal genetic screenings to rule out any treatable conditions at birth. However, when it comes to known diseases that have life altering effects (like in this video discussing Huntington’s disease), it really depends on the situation and what the patient wants to do. Children can’t be forced to get this done until they are old enough to make informed consent themselves. I personally think that knowing that as a kid would probably impact how I looked forward to my life and could potentially bring about mental health issues at an early age just in trying to process what that all meant to me. This would be doing more harm than good. As an adult, we need to encourage and support our patient’s autonomy in whatever decision they want to make regarding genetic testing. Some people might not want to know so that they can live their life the way they want to without worry. And others might want to know their risk especially when it comes to relationships and family planning.
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Genetic testing in all forms, whether prenatally or in adulthood, has been one of the greatest medical advancements in this generation. But with that, there comes a lot of controversy on if and when it is appropriate to use.
We can all agree on post-natal genetic screenings to rule out any treatable conditions at birth. However, when it comes to known diseases that have life altering effects (like in this video discussing Huntington’s disease), it really depends on the situation and what the patient wants to do.
Children can’t be forced to get this done until they are old enough to make informed consent themselves. I personally think that knowing that as a kid would probably impact how I looked forward to my life and could potentially bring about mental health issues at an early age just in trying to process what that all meant to me.
This would be doing more harm than good.
As an adult, we need to encourage and support our patient’s autonomy in whatever decision they want to make regarding genetic testing. Some people might not want to know so that they can live their life the way they want to without worry. And others might want to know their risk especially when it comes to relationships and family planning.